Paul Libby Obituary

1921 - 2021
Paul Andrews Libby was born in Mineola, New York on September 4, 1921, and passed away after a brief illness at 100 years old on November 2, 2021 in La Jolla, California. At the time of his death, Libby was Professor Emeritus in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department at UC San Diego.

After more than 65 years in the field of aerodynamics, Libby was internationally renowned for contributions to the understanding of turbulence and combustion. In 1999, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for "contributions as a researcher, author, and educator who advanced knowledge of fluid dynamics, turbulence, and combustion through theoretical analyses." Libby produced more than 200 journal publications and authored numerous books.

Libby received his bachelor's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1942. He served in the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics and was honorably discharged in 1946 as a Lieutenant Junior Grade. He then received his doctorate in Applied Mechanics from the Polytechnic Institute and was appointed to the faculty where he worked on the development of facilities for supersonic and hypersonic experimentation and associated theoretical research.

On September 25, 1955, Libby married Petrina Marie Caruso, a Hunter College graduate and then a junior executive at the Bell Telephone Laboratories. The Libbys spent many happy years in Freeport, Long Island as their family expanded with the birth of son John in 1958, and daughter Patricia in 1961. In 1964, they left their lifelong New York roots and headed to La Jolla, California where Libby joined the newly established Department of Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering Sciences (AMES) at UCSD.

In 1972, Libby was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in Applied Mathematics, which he pursued at Imperial College in London. The family spent six months in London, followed by a six-week trip in Europe during which Libby lectured at conferences and singlehandedly drove the family in a bright red VW microbus from Amsterdam to Naples, Italy.

At UCSD, Libby held various administrative positions, including Associate Dean of Graduate Affairs, Acting Dean of Graduate Affairs, Chair of the AMES Department, and Interim Dean of the Engineering Division. Libby enjoyed mentoring his graduate students and became lifelong friends with many of them. Libby was an avid tennis player, an excellent cook, and a lifelong enthusiast of gardening, classical music, modern architecture, history, and politics.

Libby is survived by his son John Libby (Cindy), daughter Patricia Libby Thvedt, grandchildren Michael Libby, Matthew Libby, Madeline Libby, Andrew Thvedt, Eric Thvedt, and Paul Thvedt, and many nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his wife of 62 years, Petrina, and his son-in-law Joel Thvedt.

Contributions may be made to the UC San Diego Foundation to "The Dr. Paul A. Libby and Petrina M.C. Libby Endowed Scholarship in Engineering at UC San Diego" either online at https://giveto.ucsd.edu (Fund No. 7230) or by calling UC San Diego Gift Processing at 858-534-4493. Gifts may also be made in Libby's memory to his beloved KUSC Radio at KUSC.org.